“A sumptuous historical novel anchored by its excellent depiction of Jane Seymour, Henry the VIII’s third queen . . . This is a must for all fans of Tudor fiction and history.”—Publishers Weekly Ever since she was a child, Jane has longed for a cloistered life as a nun. But her large noble family has other plans, and as an adult, Jane is invited to the King’s court to serve as … King’s court to serve as lady-in-waiting to Queen Katherine of Aragon. The devout Katherine shows kindness to all her ladies, almost like a second mother, which makes rumors of Henry’s lustful pursuit of Anne Boleyn—also lady-in-waiting to the queen—all the more shocking. For Jane, the betrayal triggers memories of a haunting incident that shaped her beliefs about marriage.
But once Henry disavows Katherine and secures Anne as his new queen—forever altering the religious landscape of England—he turns his eye to another: Jane herself. Urged to return the King’s affection and earn favor for her family, Jane is drawn into a dangerous political game that pits her conscience against her desires. Can Jane be the one to give the King his long-sought-after son, or will she be cast aside like the women who came before her?
Bringing new insight to this compelling story, Alison Weir marries meticulous research with gripping historical fiction to re-create the dramas and intrigues of the most renowned court in English history. At its center is a loving and compassionate woman who captures the heart of a king, and whose life will hang in the balance for it.
Praise for Jane Seymour, The Haunted Queen
“Bestselling [Alison] Weir’s impressive novel shows why Jane deserves renewed attention [and] illustrates Jane’s unlikely journey from country knight’s daughter to queen of England. . . . From the richly appointed decor to the religious tenor of the time, the historical ambience is first-rate.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Deft, authoritative biographical fiction . . . a dramatic and empathic portrait of Jane Seymour.”—Kirkus Reviews
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Jane Seymour the shy mouse type? Think again! This superb book, the result of deep and meticulous new research, brings her to astonishing life—she is vibrant and determined, and she sets the king’s court on fire. The fascinating secrets of the Seymour family are deftly explored, the world of the Court painted anew—and Jane’s romance with the king is an absolute revelation. Wonderfully written with sympathy and grace, this gripping book gives us the real third wife and shows her struggle to stay true to herself and survive in the toughest of worlds. A magnificent novel.
In this gripping and utterly compelling novel, Henry VIII’s third and—allegedly—best-loved wife is brought vividly to life. Forget ‘plain’ Jane Seymour: here is a woman to be reckoned with—strong-willed, brave, and tenacious. Her story is set against the rich and complex backdrop of Henry VIII’s court at its most turbulent. Not to be missed.
I have read all of the books in this series which have been published so far, and this one, to my mind, is the best work of all. Alison Weir is one of my all-time favorite authors, and this is undoubtedly some of her finest work. I wholeheartedly agree with her take on the blank spaces throughout Jane Seymour’s life which can only be filled in via speculation, particularly with that of talented historical novelists such as Weir herself.
In times of trouble I love a good Tudor-based historical fiction, though I hadn’t read one before that had Jane Seymour as the central character. Jane was the third wife of Henry VIII, who he married just days after executing Anne Boleyn and who bore Henry his much desired son and died right after. Her time in the spotlight was short-lived, but she bore witness to much of the events of Henry VIII’s first divorce while acting as a lady in waiting to both Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. It was interesting to read about these well-known historical events from her perspective and it allowed for moments of delicious irony, such as her wondering how Katherine could still love Henry after all his cruelty and judging Anne for stealing away the husband of her mistress – both things Jane herself would go on to do. I also really liked the insertion of supernatural elements into the book although I can see this irritating some historical purists! My only quibble is this book paints Jane as a bit too much of an innocent lamb for my liking, I would have liked to see her with a bit more agency or at least acting like something other than a perfect angel 24/7 but overall Alison Weir continues to knock it out of the park with this series.
Jane Seymour as such a short chapter in the Tudor Era, that it is hard to find many good novels written about her. But this much dramatized novel however feels spot on when it comes to historical fact. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, totally engrossing from start to finish.
As always, anything Alison Weir writes is ALWAYS GOOD! This story about Jane Seymour was SOOO GOOD!! Her characters always come to life and I can just picture myself being there in Henry’s court, but what a time to have lived there in that court with all the palace intrigue and spies!:0 And heaven forbid if you caught the eye of Henry! I usually never re-read books, but with Ms. Weirs books… I could definitely read over again!! This was definitely a 5 star read!:)
Audiobook. Informative. Well narrated. Don’t miss the author’s notes at the end.
This is novel #3 in Historian Alison Weir’s planned series about the six wives of England’s King Henry VIII (THE TUDOR QUEENS). And like the previous two I’ve read, this one’s great strength AND weakness is Weir’s background as an historian. Because her inclusion of so much historically accurate detail is, at times, welcome, and at other times, dull.
There is not much primary historical material about Jane Seymour. And so, Weir has taken some liberties in telling this story. (These she explains in the very helpful Author’s Note.) For example, she imagines Jane’s childhood and an early desire to become a nun. She imagines Jane’s devotion to Queen Katherine of Aragon as lady-in-waiting. And she imagines an active role for Jane in the downfall of Queen Anne Boleyn.
Weir also uses what is TRULY known about the real Jane. Like her faithfulness to the Catholic religion and dutiful obedience to her husband. She is, after all, the wife Henry chose to be buried with — even though he still has three more to go after Jane’s death. But that could also be because Jane succeeded in providing Henry’s much longed for male heir.
Often, with historical novels, authors too often fall into the trap of writing as though the characters know the ultimate outcome of events, in the way that readers do. Weir is good at keeping the story real. Instead she writes with the emotions and fears that contemporary characters, who don’t know what will happen, might truly have be thinking. For example, assuming Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn would be annulled and being surprised when she was arrested instead. Or Jane worrying that she might either lose her child or have a girl. This is one of Weir’s strengths and helps make reading this novel more of a discovery, rather than a recitation of the facts that many of us already know.
What was most interesting to me was the work Weir did around explaining Jane’s death — 12 days after her son’s birth. Weir reviewed the primary source material and then showed it to a number of contemporary medical experts. Based on their input, Weir debunks the more common theories that Jane died of either puerperal fever or a rudimentary caesarean delivery. Instead, Weir proposes that Jane suffered two distinct illnesses — first food poisoning (which left her severely dehydrated), followed by an embolism. Seemed convincing to me.
So, for all you Tudor fans, here’s another one to add to your list. And I will soon pick up Weir’s newly published novel #4 about Anne of Cleves.
Great history book.
Very interesting story of the life of Jane Seymour, one of the best I’ve read about her life.
story from a different point of view
Jane Seymour The Haunted Queen by Alison Weir is the third book in the Six Tudor Queens series. If you love the Tudor era and Henry VIII then you will definitely enjoy this book. This book follows her from the time of her youth to the day she died. It’s a new take on Jane Seymour and one that I definitely enjoyed reading. I highly recommend this book and the series!
I am interested in Medieval English life and found the book enjoyable.
This book is somewhat superficial and given the sparsity of information on Jane Seymour, that’s probably to be expected. It would seem that the author had difficulty deciding if Jane was a reluctant conspirator in the downfall of Anne Boleyn, was ambitious enough to not care, or couldn’t make up her mind. Same with Henry – Jane loved him but she didn’t like him much, etc. Alison Weir is an excellent historical non-fiction writer, but this is the first fiction novel of hers I’ve read. I am disappointed her talent in the non-fiction world didn’t carry over to this fictionalized story of a relatively unknown lady.
Allison Wier’s books are well researched and always entertaining. Maybe Seymour’s life was one of ups and downs and the book made the emotions real.
Amazing author
Quite horrifying to me, as a woman of today, to see in detail how women in Henry 8th’s world were treated. Their families used them ruthlessly to gain wealth and power and seemed not to care about them or their feelings at all. I did like getting to know more about Jane Seymour and also how her childbirth went. Great author!
This book is written by one of my favorite authors. She brings the characters to life in a way that no one else can do to the Tudors.
A little slow and repetitive
Interesting interpretation of Jane’s character based on the very little evidence available. An entertaining read.